The Callahan Report: Craven Returns; Bobby Hamilton has Good Shot at New
England

LOUDON, NH: Two weeks ago, it was barely evident there
was a race being run at the New Hampshire International Speedway. The
Indy Racing League could fill only 20,000 of the 80,000 seats at this
scenic facility. Things are about to change. The bleachers at New
Hampshire will be thoroughly cleaned this weekend as NASCAR fans will
occupy every seat at the relatively new track. The "stand-up/sit-down"
action of the race fanatics will make the aluminum seats sparkle once
again. It is a trademark of the exciting world of NASCAR Winston Cup
racing.

Ricky Craven

New Hampshire has produced some surprises during its short history.
The drivers making trips to victory lane since the track opened in 1993
have all been stars, but there have been several non-winners who have done
well in this Northeast location. Steve Grissom and Ricky Craven, both
looking for their first NASCAR Winston Cup victory, have been strong
contenders in New Hampshire. Craven will be making his return to the
driver's seat after some time of for post concussion syndrome.

Bobby Hamilton

Bobby Hamilton is a NASCAR winner. However, his 1998 season has been
up and down. Hamilton dominated at Martinsville earlier this season. His
performance since then has been dismal until the stars of the Winston Cup
series took to the road course at Sears Point. Hamilton was engaged in an
intense battle with Jeff Gordon at Sears Point, proving that Hamilton was
"on track" once again. The driver of the Kodak sponsored car, Hamilton
knows the fast way around the track at New Hampshire. He led several laps
at this tight track last year. Hamilton is expected to be one of the
favorites for a first time win at New Hampshire.

Another driver who will perform well this weekend will be Dale Jarrett.
The number one driver for the Robert Yates team is no stranger to victory
lane. Jarrett is becoming a master at every NASCAR venue. He dominated
the early stages of the New Hampshire race in 1997 but had trouble late in
the race which dropped him out of the top-ten. Look for Jarrett to stay
out of trouble and be a threat to own the real estate surrounding victory
lane at the conclusion of the race this weekend.

The other Dale (Earnhardt) has been good at the restrictor plate races
this season. His performance at other tracks has been less than
impressive. That should change in New England. Earnhardt should be back
in contention at the "one mile" tracks. He obtained a new crew chief
recently. The team has had time to gel. Earnhardt started 26th and
finished 2nd at this race last year. Based on these facts, "The
Intimidator" will be a force in the Jiffy Lube 300.

Dale Earnhardt

Rusty Wallace has not won a race this season. He has been a frontrunner
in most of the events. This should be an "on-week" for Wallace. The team
has always performed well at New England. Wallace was the winner of the
inaugural race here in 1993. He started 13th last year and charged to a
third place finish. Wallace should be a winner or at least find himself
with another top-five finish.

Rusty Wallace

Mark Martin has been tough wherever he has raced in 1998. Martin has
already scored four wins this season. He has also posted 12 top-ten
finishes. He seems to have little trouble finding his way to the front at
this race track. Martin finished fifth in the Winston Cup show last
year. The Valvoline Ford Taurus will be showing its colors in the front
of the pack (as usual) in Loudon.

The darkhorse pick for the Jiffy Lube 300 is last year's winner. Jeff
Burton has been struggling in 1998. He dominated late in the race last
year. He obviously is overdue for a victory. Burton is a part of the
Roush Racing super team. The team will be studying their notes from last
year. Their homework prior to the race may land Burton his first victory
of the season. Burton moved from 15th to first for the win in 1997.

Other notables for this weekend's show are: 1.) Jeff Gordon, (won the
last Winston Cup event and is first in the series points race.) 2.) John
Andretti, (finished third in his last outing at Sears Point and was a
leader in New Hampshire last year.) 3.) Bill Elliott, (started 23rd and
finished 6th here last year.)

The Jiffy Lube 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway will
certainly provide some surprises. The winner may come from anywhere in
the pack at this 1.058 mile paved speedway. The qualifying speeds are
expected to be in the 130 mph range.

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